Supplementary container for use with receptacle closures



Dec. 2, 1958 H. s. HELDFOND 2,862,637 SUPPLEMENTARY CONTAINER FOR USEWITH RECEPTACLE CLOSURES Filed' March 25, 1956 F'g? 6. r1? 7. Fig? 5.

1 INVENTOR.

Harold SHeJofond M W AH'iy-s United States Patent 2,862,637-SUPPLEMENTARY CONTAINER FoR USE WITH.

RECEPTACLE CLOSURES Harold S. Heldfond, Portland; Oreg.

Application March 23, 1956, Serial No. 573,545

5 Claims. (or. ars -as v My invention relates to a supplementarycontainer for use with receptacles.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers and industry, in general, are ever alertfor new ways and means: of not only improving, their products but toalso improve the packaging. of their products. Surveys and psychologicaltests by industry and advertising agencies have clearly shown-thatfavorable or unfavorable reception of any product by the public isdetermined not only by the product itself, butalso by the format of itslabel,the type of container employed and even by the type of closureused on a container. Consequently, anything which increases theconsumers desire for and satisfaction" with a'product, whether it is theshape, color, taste, or aroma of the product, or the label-, container,or closure for the container, is obviously Welcomed by the manufacturendistributor and retailer, especially when thebasic costis not materiallyincreased.

It is common knowledge that almost all consumer goodsand products,especially pharmaceuticals, are packaged in one form or another. Theutilization of the contents of some of these packaged pharmaceutical andother products often requires the use of a measuring device in order toapportion out the proper quantity, and in the field of pharmaceuticalsand prescribed-drugs, predetermined dosages are usually called for.Vitamins, diet aids, and similar types of drugs, whether in pill,capsule or jeltab form, are usually sold in relatively large quantities.Since most vitamins and other types of pharmaceuticals, whetherprescribed or ready packed and sold over the counter, are taken inpredetermined and prescribed dosages, itis unnecessary and actuallyinconvenient to carry on ones person the original container, when only alimited dosage is indicated or prescribed. Consequently, a small amountof the vitamins or other drugs are usually transferred from the originalcontainer to a compact and much smaller container. While so-called pillboxes are available on the market, it is within the contemplation of myinvention to furnish as a part of the original package, a supplementarycontainer for the purpose.

This invention, in its broadest sense, relates to containers having sometype of removable closure andin its narrowest application, it relates toa receptacle closure of the'internally threaded type.

The principal object of my invention is to provide, as an adjunct to areceptacle containing drugs or other similar materials to be used by aperson in predetermined or prescribed amounts, daily or periodically, asupple mentary orauxiliary containerof convenient and compact size andshape into which the person may transfer a small quantity of the productand carry the same in pocket or purse.

It is within the contemplation and the very essence of my invention toprovide, as an adjunct to a standard type of container forpharmaceuticals sold over the counter, or drugs prescribed by a medicalpractitioner, a s'upplementary container which does not alter thestructural characteristic or the over-all appearance of the container ofthe pharmaceuticals or drugs and yet is readily available to thepurchaser for carrying a small amountof pharmaceuticals ordrugs-transferred to it from the original containerr y An importantobject of my invention is to provide a supplementary container incombination'with areceptacle closure which would not decrease theefficiency of the closure or alter its appearance and which couldreadily be removed from the closure and used as a means for carryingportions of the productcontained in" the receptacle covered by theclosure.

A further object of my invention is to provide a sup-- plementarycontainer-for any-standard type-'ofreceptacle" which-isremovably'p'ositi ofned' upon the receptacle closure, andwhich isreadilyavailableto serveas acontainer of a small portion of the contentsof thereceptacle, or which" can bexuseclas a measuring mfeans for a'small per-- tion of the" contents or the receptacle.

A still further objectofmy invention is to providea compact, extremelysimple and inexpensive means for holding prescribed daily dosages' -orsmall quantities, of pharmaceutical prod'ilcts and which can also beused to measure a charge o'f'a'd'rug, such asbicarbonate of soda, toform a medicinalbeverage when mixed with'water, the means'beingcomhindwith the closure of the receptacle containing the pharmaceuticals orother-products.

A fulland complete understandingof the invention and its objects-andadvantages may-be further obtained from a consideration ofthefoll'owingdetailed" description, which must be read inconnectionwiththe disclosures in the drawings forming a part' hereof andin which:

Fig 1 is a schematic ele'vati onali view, partly broken away, of: areceptacle and its usual' closure cap, and of the sections forming thesupplementary container embodying my invention and showing the relativerelationship of these elements to each other when telescoped'togethera'nd placed onthe container cap;

Fig. 2- is an elevational view of a supplementary container embodyingmy-finvention, when its sections are removed from the receptacle closureand positioned with.

respect to each other to form a' compact container;

Fig; 3' is an elevational view, partly broken. away, of amodifi'edsupplementary container embodying my inven.-.-

tion, showing onessection havingalfluted, medial, pe-

ripheral flange thereon and the other section telescopically.

Fig; 5 isa bottom view of the supplementary containershown in Figs; 3and 4; I

Fig; 6 is an elevational View; ph-rtlysbrokensaway, of still anothermodified, supplementary container showing one section having'internalcorrugations toprovide air ventslbetween' the two sections forming thecontainer;

Fig. 7' is an elevation'al'. view, partly broken-away of the conta nershown in Fig. .6 with the sections positioned,-

to form the supplementary container; and p a Fig. 8 1s a bott'orn -viewofv thecontainerjshbwn. in F1gs.6and7. I V fl The s'tru'c'turall'details of my invariant as revealed in; the figures shown in-"the'drawing are quite-simple. The contamer as will hereinafterbe" more fullydescribed,

consists basically of two cup-shaped, complementary,

container sections generally designated by reference characters A and B;However, in orderfto-m'or'i fully" explain the relationship ot thesupplementary co'ntain'er' composed of sections Arand B, to a.'-common:.type or:

receptacle, it is deemed desirable to fully describe such a receptacle.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic layout of a combined receptacle, closure andsupplementary container in which a fancifully represented receptacle inthe form of a portion of a bottle is designated by reference numeral 1.This receptacle is intended merely to represent containers in general,since the shape, size, and type of container may vary with the type ofproduct contained therein. The container illustrated comprises a neck 2,having external threads of any desired shape in longitudinal section(not shown).

A primary closure or cap 3 of cylindrical shape is threadably secured tothe neck 2 of the receptacle 1. The external surface of closure 3 may besmooth or fluted, knurled or otherwise formed to provide an efficientgripping surface if desired. Furthermore, if the receptacle 1 has a neck2 requiring a difierent type of closure engagement, the internalperipheral surface of closure 3 may be constructed to meet thiscondition.

The component sections A and B of the supplementary container arepositioned in telescopic relation to each other and to closure 3 asgraphically shown at the bottom portion of schematic Fig. l. The innersection A has an internal diameter substantially equal to the externaldiameter of the cap 3. Preferably these sections and the closuretelescope snugly whereby frictionally to prevent accidental dislodgmentof the sections from each other and from the closure, but the sectionsare not so firmly engaged to each other and to the closure as to preventtheir manual disengagement. When it is desired to remove a portion ofthe contents from the container 1 and transfer the same to thesupplemental container formed from sections A and B, these sections areeasily removable from closure 1 as clearly shown in schematic Fig. 1 andare positioned to form a closed and expansible compartment, as shown inFig. 2. In this manner, a compact and convenient supplementary containeris instantly available and quickly created into which the portion of theingredients removed from container 1 may be placed.

Since there is a possibility that an air lock or seal may be formedbetween sections A and B when positioned, as shown in Fig. 2, in view oftheir relatively close telescopic relationship, it may be necessary toprovide some means to vent one or both sections. This can beaccomplished by providing perforations 4 in one or both of the sectionsA and B. However, the same results may be accomplished by modifyingsection A as shown in Figures 3 to 5 inclusive so as to provide anannular band 5 medially and as an integral part of section A.Longitudinal ribs 6 are formed in band 5 which act as air vents, whensection B is telescopically positioned thereupon, as shown in Figures 3and 4, and thus prevents the creation of an air lock or seal.Furthermore, these ribs 6 define a circle of a radius equal to theinternal radius of part B so as to provide an efficient gripping surfacefor the inner wall of section B to contact and thus prevent the easydislodgment of section B from section A whether the two sections arepositioned as shown in Fig 3 or Fig. 4.

The prevention of an air lock between sections A and B without reducingthe expansibility of the supplementary container shown in Figs. 1 and 2,may be accomplished as shown in Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive by providing aplurality of longitudinal ribs 7 within the interior wall of section B,defining a circle of a radius equal to the external radius of part A, sothat irrespective of the position of section B in relation to section A,adequate air vents will be provided to avoid the creation of an airseal.

Sections A and B ofthe supplementary container, whether of the typeshown in Figs. 1 and 2, or 3 to 5 inclusive, or 6 to 8 inclusive, arepreferably composed of a translucent or transparent material fabricatedfrom one of the many plastics, or one of the synthetic resins and thecontour assumed by these sections would necessarily be controlled by theexternal contour of the closure with which sections A and B arecooperatively associated.

The section A may be of such dimensions as to hold a measured orprescribed amount of the material in the receptacle. If such material isa liquid or a powder, the hole 4 in section A Would be omitted.

Having illustrated and described several modifications of my inventionit should be apparent to those skilled in the art that othermodifications in detail and arrangement thereof are possible. All suchmodifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the followingclaims are considered to be a part of my invention.

I claim:

1. The combination comprising a bottle having a cylindrical closuremember removably associated therewith, a first cylindrical supplementarycontainer forming section comprising a bottom wall and a continuousperipheral flange, said first supplementary container forming sectionbeing inverted over said closure member with its flange surrounding andin frictional retaining engagement with the periphery of said closuremember, and a second cylindrical supplementary container forming sec-,tion comprising a bottom wall and a continuous peripheral flange, saidsecond supplementary container forming sesction being inverted over saidclosure member with its flange surrounding and in frictional engagementwith the flange of said first supplementary container forming section,said supplementary container forming sections being removable fromassociation with said bottle, separable from each other, and capable ofbeing telescoped one into the other with their flanges in frictionalretaining engagement with each other and their bottom walls opposed toeach other whereby to form a separate supplementary container.

2. The combination comprising a bottle having a cylindrical closuremember removably associated therewith, a first cylindrical supplementarycontainer forming section comprising a bottom wall and a continuousperipheral flange, said first supplementary container forming sectionbeing inverted over said closure member with its flange surrounding andin frictional retaining engagement with the periphery of said closuremember, and a second cylindrical supplementary container forming sectioncomprising a bottom wall and a continuous peripheral flange, said secondsupplementary container forming section being inverted over said closuremember with its flange surrounding and in frictional engagement with theflange of said first supplementary container forming section, saidsupplementary container forming sections being removable fromassociation with said bottle, separable from each. other, and capable ofbeing telescoped one into the other with their flanges in frictionalretaining engagement with each other and their bottom walls opposed toeach other whereby to form a separate supplementary container, one ofsaid supplementary container forming sections having a plurality oflongitudinal ribs formed in the surface of its flange which frictionallyengages the flange of the other supplementary container forming sectionwhereby to prevent the formation of an air seal between said sectionswhen engaged with each other in either direction of association.

3. The combination comprising a bottle having a cylindrical closuremember removably associated therewith, a first cylindrical supplementarycontainer forming section comprising a bottom Wall and a continuousperipheral flange, said first supplementary container forming sectionbeing inverted over said closure member with its flange surrounding andin frictional retaining engagement with the periphery of said closuremember, and a second cylindrical supplementary container forming sectioncomprising a bottom Wall and a continuous peripheral flange, said secondsupplementary container forming section being inverted over said closuremember with its flange surrounding and in frictional engagement with theflange of said first supplementary container forming section, saidsupplementary container forming sections being removable fromassociation with said bottle, separable from each other, and capable ofbeing telescoped one into the other with their flanges in frictionalretaining engagement with each other and their bottom walls opposed toeach other whereby to form a separate supplementary container, saidflanges being loosely interfitting when initially telescoped within oneanother in either direction, and one of said flanges having an annular band projecting therefrom and engaging the surface of said other flangein firm frictional engagement when said sections are fully telescopedwithin one another in either direction of association.

4. The combination comprising a bottle having a cylindrical closuremember removably associated therewith, a first cylindrical supplementarycontainer forming section comprising a bottom wall and a continuousperipheral flange, said first supplementary container forming sectionbeing inverted over said closure member with its flange surrounding andin frictional retaining engagement with the periphery of said closuremember, and a second cylin drical supplementary container formingsection comprising a bottom wall and a continuous peripheral flange,said second supplementary container forming section being inverted oversaid closure member with its flange surrounding and in frictionalengagement with the flange of said first supplementary container formingsection, said supplementary container forming sections being removablefrom association with said bottle, separable from each other, andcapable of being telescoped one into the other with their flanges infrictional retaining engagement with each other and their bottom wallsopposed to each other whereby to form a separate supplementarycontainer, the flange of said first supplementary container formingsection having a depth substantially twice that of the flange of saidsecond supplementary container forming section, said flanges beingloosely interfitting for the most part when associated with each otherin either direction, said first supplementary container forming sectionhaving an annular band projecting therefrom intermediate its ends andengaging the lip of said other flange in firm frictional engagement whensaid members are fully telescoped within one another in either directionof association,

5. The combination comprising a bottle having a cylindrical closuremember removably associated therewith, a first cylindrical supplementarycontainer forming section comprising a bottom wall and a continuousperipheral flange, said first supplementary container forming sectionbeing inverted over said closure member with its flange surrounding andin frictional retaining engagement with the periphery of said closuremember, and a second cylindrical supplementary container forming sectioncomprising a bottom wall and a continuous peripheral flange, said secondsupplementary container forming section being inverted over said closuremember with its flange surrounding and in frictional engagement with theflange of said first supplementary container forming'section, saidsupplementary container forming sections being removable fromassociation with said bottle, separable from each other, and capable ofbeing telescoped one into the other with their flanges in frictionalretaining engagement with each other and their bottom walls opposed toeach other whereby to form a separate supplementary container, theflange of said first supplementary container forming section having adepth substantially twice that of the flange of said secondsupplementary container forming section, said flanges being looselyinterfitting for the most part when associated with each other in eitherdirection, said first supplementary container forming section having anannular band projecting therefrom intermediate its ends and engaging thelip of said other flange in firm frictional engagement when said membersare fully telescoped Within one another in either direction ofassociation, said band being longitudinally fluted to provide aplurality of channels for the free passage of air in order to preventthe formation of an air seal between said sections when associated witheach other in either direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,898,654 Breslauer Feb. 21, 1933 2,076,457 Genone Apr. 6, 19372,212,340 Davis Aug. 20, 1940 2,533,159 Yates Dec. 5, 1950

